Steven R. May 1, 2019
While it felt like Valve’s battle royale experiment had been swept under the rug for a time, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive development team has apparently been toiling away on a major update.
Big changes have arrived to CS:GO’s Danger Zone. A new patch has dropped for the game mode, bringing with it a new map, new items, and multiple UI changes. They combine to make for a very different Danger Zone experience that is far more forgiving than its original iteration.
The biggest change is Danger Zone moving from Blacksite to a new map, Sirocco. As with Blacksite, the environments are widely varied which can result in games going from narrow underground passageways to wide open fields, then shifting to vertical firefights in ruins. The map comes with a pair of Apex Legends-inspired changes including a new pinging system and a respawn ability that allows players to return in the early stages of the game, so long as their squad hasn't been entirely wiped out.
A number of new items have also been added in Danger Zone. The new Exojump upgrade gives players considerably higher jumps at the expense of making their movement much easier to hear. A new planted explosive item was also thrown in with the Bump Mine, a landmine that launches anyone that steps on it upward.
The biggest change to Danger Zone’s gameplay stems from a series of tweaks that allow players to become fully kitted more quickly. A new “deployment perk” system gives players a free starting item with options including a Zeus, medishot, parachute, and Exojump. The tablet also received an upgrade that marks the closest unopened weapon crate, removing the sometimes frustrating early scramble to find a serviceable weapon.
Ammunition is also far less scarce than it previously was. Guns now come packaged with more bullets, reducing the frequent need to scour for ammo drops.
A number of other additions were teased for future Danger Zone updates. A new Ballistic Shield weapon, a controllable drone that lets players scout ahead, and some new options for earning cash were all hinted at, though no release date was given for any of them beyond “coming soon.”
The full patch notes can be found on the official CS:GO blog.